Libya pushes legal compliance for Egyptian workers

Libya is trying to bring one of its most sensitive labour issues under strict state control by insisting that Egyptian workers regularise their legal status, defining new workers’ rights and bilateral coordination, according to The Libya Observer and agencies on April 1st.

Labour and Rehabilitation Minister Ali Al-Abed made the point during a meeting in Tripoli with Egypt’s chargé d’affaires, Ambassador Tamer El-Hefny. The two sides discussed mechanisms to organise and settle the status of Egyptian workers in a way that would ensure what the Libyan side described as a safe and lawful working environment.

Tripoli is not presenting the issue as a routine administrative matter, but as part of a wider effort to regulate foreign labour through law rather than informality.

Al-Abed also urged the Egyptian diplomatic mission to intensify awareness efforts among its nationals so they comply with Libya’s official procedures and labour regulations, while the Egyptian envoy said Cairo remained committed to ensuring its workers operate within a regulated legal framework.

The latest meeting appears to extend a political idea that has already been under development for almost one year. In March 2025, Al-Abed said the labour visa system needed to be activated urgently in order to ensure the entry of Egyptian workers through official channels and in line with the needs of the Libyan market.

That earlier meeting also involved the Passports, Nationality and Foreigners Affairs Authority, which said it was ready to carry out security checks on visa applications and facilitate organised entry procedures.

Taken together, the two rounds of talks suggest that Libya is trying to move the Egyptian labour file away from ad hoc movement and towards a more formal state-managed system.

This development will define how Libya balances market demand, border control, legal protection and relations with a key neighbouring state whose workforce remains deeply tied to the Libyan economy.

The Libya Observer plus agencies, maghrebi.org